Spider Number Zero
by Quincette
Summary: *One Shot* A conversation between a famous assassin and an infamous leader which likely turns into an offer, and perhaps more. Black suits black, doesn't it?


Illumi and Quoll? Odd pairing isn't? Why? Uh, dunno, black suits black, doesn't it?

I got the inspiration while I was working on one of my fanarts (which probably will take forever to be finished)

Well, pairing or not you'll be the judge.

I hope I know Illumi well enough so that he's not OOC in this fic. If he is, you're welcome to flame me. 

As for Quoll (yeah, I use it instead of Kuroro sounds too cheerful), I don't know if I know him well or not, he's not showing up very much in the anime and I don't read much about him either so again, I leave it to you readers to judge.

This is one shot, but could be considered as a spin-off prologue of my future projects 'Headless Limbs' which the plot is still under construction.

Credits on meethzoonk who had helped me through the brain-storm ^_^

I own HunterXHunter not, copyrights belong to Yoshihiro Togashi and associated companies. No profit was made, only personal satisfaction.

Enjoy 

******Spider # 0**** **

_Done._

He curved a small smile after had read that single word on his cell phone's screen.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head on to the fractured wall, feeling relieved, yet still a bit dizzy and sore here and there. Those assassins were damn good, so good that he could have been as good as dead by then, which was no more than fifteen minutes back. But cash had settled all the problem, he smirked. That Zaoldyeck's service was fast and clean, not to mention extremely high-priced; he had lost a large chunk of his account in return. But it was worth it, for he was fairly alive, and the spider's mission was accomplished; his lost would be replaced as soon as they put those auction goodies in the black markets' display.

The ambience was chill and damp. Droplets of water were dripping one by one, creating a monotone melody echoing in the vast ruins, indicating its emptiness. He was alone in the dim light, or at least that was what he thought when he had his eyes shut.

"I came to collect the rest."

He opened his lids at the stale voice, and found the hired assassin in front of him, stood there, expressionless as usual. 

"My, you surprise me." he said, but his expression did not tell so. He smiled, "Agility of the assassins, it always wonders me."

Since the assassin gave no response at that, he prolonged his line, "Cash, cheque, or transfers?" wasn't he quite friendly that day? He could have just give him his payment in any form of token, but he didn't.

"Either way is fine." he replied.

"I think transfer is far easier that carrying a piece of paper or loads of money, isn't that so?" he said, still fixing his eyes on the assassin's. _And I thought my eyes were the blackest. _He curved a small smile_, _then he turned to his cell phone and moved his fingers to finish the business.

"Done."

The assassin made sure of it by dialing certain numbers on his cell phone, checking if the digits have been added into his account. The other man, however, did not move his eyes from him, not that he cared anyway. 

He could sense power on this man in front of him, and the fact that he had survived his elders even for a brief time could be set as a world record 

His father had warned him of the spiders and how dangerous they could be. But if they need their family's service, then he was told to go for it, for how they worth; though it must be done as soon as possible.

_A Zaoldyeck _the leader mentally murmured. The assassin had wiped out those silly bloodsucking pranks right in time, which had canceled his elders' contracts to kill him. And so was he, having his life. And so were they, having all the cash they could get from the confusion. Slick. Smart. Yet professional.

And so curiosity stirred him to question, "Did you plan all of this?"

The assassin tilted his head, starless midnight met the deep ink, "I beg your pardon?"

"Did you, your family, by any chance, plan all of this? Or lest, predict that those so-called godfathers would hire you to kill me, and then I would hire you to wipe them out?" he specified his inquiry. _So I could keep my life and do another robbery, so you could repeat history again, with even more profit? _He added silently.

The Zaoldyeck slightly raised his eye brows, "Perhaps perhaps we did." he answered.

"How?" Another inquiry followed.

"That is the company's secret, Lucifer-dono." he broke the eye contact, altered his attention back to the glowing screen, "We have to seize every opportunities available in the business world, don't we?"

Chuckles from the leader, "I seize what are left with lack of guard."

Silence.

The assassin was definitely not the person to have a conversation with. And his expression was unreadable, of course, he barely had one. Common society would mark this kind of person as 'boring' or even 'weird', the ones that had known his last name would've ran for their lives before they could get any impressions from him. But some rare minority of people would find him interesting. In this case, the leader was one of them.

"Aren't you tired?" his curiosity just grew and grew.

The obsidian orbs threw him a flat glance, another 'I beg your pardon?', only unspoken.

"Aren't you tired by those duties? Aren't you bored? Orders-killings, orders-killings, where's the fun in that?"

"Where's the fun in robbing an auction?" he overlooked the question and asked in return, flat as it might be heard, but a cringe of suspicion was slowly building inside of him. _This client is asking too much_.

Another series of chuckles, "A lot, if not all. Good income leads to good adrenaline and good fight. So far the last one with your elder is the finest." he said, nonchalantly. _I wonder if you're as strong as your elders._

"We are worth our price." so he countered, more like a response to the digits displayed in his cell phone rather than the leader's remark.

The eyes beneath the cross seemed to be observing him, looking thoughtful, as though masterminding something The effect of his gaze moved from ignorable to discomforting. But the business has been done.

"It's transferred. Nice doing business with you Lucifer-dono." he said the closing line of the deal and was just to dismiss himself from the hideout. 

But before he could use his agility to swift his weight from the spot, the leader spoke up again.

"I have answered your question. Now it's your turn to answer mine" he said in a calm, but demanding undertone.

"I have no obligation to answer your question."

"Are clients not the king?"

"The deal is over. You're no longer my client."

The leader couldn't help to smile wider, _Sousaka_, "Say, assassin. Are you by any way, interested in spiders?"

A sharp glare was given in reply, it could probably mean 'I beg your pardon?' again, or either 'What the hell is that suppose to mean?'.

"You could be useful to us" smirked the leader.

"Are you suggesting me to kill one of your members and take his place, then?"

The leader tilted his head, "If so suits you. But I think I have a vacant position to offer" he bit his lower lip, recalling the certain prophecy that had explained the disappearance of one of the spider's precious limbs. _One of the twelve months had faded away_

The assassin took that as an insult, "No need in offering. I can take whatever position I like, which is none of your thirteen numbers." he said, with an unnerving glare.

The eyes beneath the cross didn't taken aback with his famous glare, instead the gaze was softened, as if the owner was smiling through them, "Number zero is available." 

It seemed to offend the assassin more. Not a trace of emotion described in his dead-white face tough, only could be sensed by any living things with instinct, even a numb one that human had. 

"Say, assassin, aren't you bored?" he repeated the previously overlooked question.

_Aren't you bored Illumi? _Suddenly a voice coming from somewhere inside the assassin's head made the same inquiry.

Which he refused to answer.

"Nice doing business with you." he closed the conversation and immediately turned away.

"Have a handshake with me then." said that annoying voice, was almost sounded playful.

The assassin could just zoomed off the place. But, because of undefined reason he stopped his paces, turned around and approached the one requesting a handshake.

The said one being approached had his smile back, trying to stand up to bid his hand. But found that one of his legs was too frail to support his weight. Pain stroke as he forced it to cooperate. He glanced at the source of pain and encountered a red stain spreading on his lower trousers. He didn't notice that he had a wound there.

"You have an impressive grandfather." he said, ignoring the pain, showing the assassin his wound.

"I'll take that as a compliment." responded the assassin, bidding his hand to shake the other.

But the other slid down to his previous position before their hands met, "Too damn impressive for me I guess" he groaned.

He glanced at the leader's leg, "It's fractured." he said, not much interested, "You have little time till it have to be amputated."

The leader slightly arched his brows at the flat information.

"I could fix it." he added.

The leader lifted his gaze, 'Oh, really?' the eyes said.

"--at a price." he added again, with a hidden glee in his tone.

"I see" replied the leader, _Assassins and their prices_

"So?"

"So? Name your price."

"You know the fee."

The leader could have sworn that he saw the assassin curved his lips, even in the slightest friction of time. He sighed, "Then consider it named." _A chunk of your account again Quoll_

Then the assassin took out one of his silvery pin. With a swift movement, the metal was planted inside the other's flesh, supporting the fractured parts.

It did hurt for sure, but at that rate of speed he hardly felt anything but shock. Pain followed still, but the said leg was working properly as he used it to stand up and face the assassin. No trace of blood in his hands.

"Quite impressing."

The assassin tilted his head vaguely at the compliment.

"Oh, and by the way," said the leader, "It seems that I've misplaced your namecard. Would I be asking too much if I ask for another one?"

He gave him the namecard straight ahead.

The leader read the printed piece of paper, _Illumi Zaoldyeck, _he read, "No birthdate?" he asked after found no information of that on the said card.

"I don't think that's necessary."

"Of course it's not." he curved another smile, "But I am still your client. Client is king, it is not? Then what I say, goes." he summoned a bit of his nen which formed a pen, then smilingly handed it to the assassin. He noted the assassin eyeing it with much suspicion, so he added, "Birthdays are special days. By knowing yours, I promise I won't bother you with any orders."

The other man cringed his forehead. _He's plotting something_, he thought, _but I can't quite put my finger on what. _He hesitated. But then another thought entered his mind, _It wouldn't hurt, would it? It is just mere numbers that he wants. What harm could it do?_

"If you could just write it slightly above your name.."

And so he did what he was told.

The leader smiled meaningfully, "Say, Zaoldyeck-san," he started after tucking the namecard away, "Would you be interested in prophecies?"

At this rate the assassin decided to take no more questions and end the whole transaction right a way, "Nice doing business with you." and he walked away. He didn't come to be interrogated. He came for business, and business was over and done. Aside, this one was too much asking, and he admitted, he was rather alarmed, that some more chit-chat with him would reveal too much of his weakness, or elsewhat that didn't suppose to be revealed.

But then the irritating voice was heard again, reminding him of something that was annoyingly forgotten.

"I haven't paid for your medication."

The assassin held the urge to turn back and make him pay. "It's a compliment." he didn't like to have a long conversation, especially one with him as likely the submitted one.

"Cheerful." smiled the leader, and fortunately for him, the assassin couldn't see him smile or he would have surely given him another 'compliment', "I could use your service again sometimes, maybe in the near future"

The assassin left his line unreplied..

"And my offer lasts." 

The assassin had already left . His figure succumbed into the shades.

But he had heard what the other said.

***

The lone spider was left to smirk. The namecard he had was the perfect material to trial his newly stolen powers from a certain rich man's daughter. He formed an extra paper from his nen and hesitantly spoke the rather ridiculous, not-so-magic words to summon the said powers.

"Lovely ghostwriter!" he exclaimed, feeling rather clunky with himself. Probably the next time he would have some use on the power, he would force it to come out straight ahead without any silly passwords.

The effect of these words was almost instantaneously. His eyes flickered, and by soon became transfixed; made him unwillingly moving his hands to write down one of fate's secrets. The one about the assassin he had just acquainted. 

And as the haze misted his vision disappeared; was written the assassin's presumably awaiting destiny before his eyes.

_On six of the twelve, silver pins are growing rusty_

_Red painted with no more ecstasy_

_The depths of black casts an ignorable inquiry_

_of should from the indefinite cage he free_

_with famous all together infamous may blend_

_as well in shadow of doubt he spend_

_in brightest night was circle of thirteen _

_as unbreakable as it might has been _

_upon the ten crimson stains, extends the cross_

_and vain shall be gradually uncovered from the choice _

_if thirteen was down _

_then the vague zero might be found_

_like cipher hold positive and negative in neutral_

_single silver pin could intact the partial_

_zero might be there or nowhere in hue_

_decision is up to pursue _

_if scarlet obstacle come to maim_

_the twelve shall be what will remain_

_but the decapitated head shall be fixed_

_for the number zero is the invisible link_

In the end of reading, he smiled, flinching his gaze at the silvery pin inside his wound. Not all of the lines were clear to him, but he knew something for sure. _The assassin could be useful, very useful._

***

Sets of vibration slowed down the assassin's paces. He reached for his communication device and found another order on the screen.

_Another order._

_Order and kills._

_As usual_

_"Say, Assassin, aren't you bored?"_

He gritted his teeth, shoved the echoing question out of his head. Refused to answer or refused to hear the answer to be exact, for his inner thought had already had it. But it didn't matters. Didn't matters of what his feeling for his job was.

The only thing that mattered was his family. His family's prosperity. Therefore the profession he currently had was interesting. The only thing that interesting. Others not. He convinced himself.

_The offer means nothing_

_It is not interesting._

_It does not matter_

_Does?_

_Does._

***To Be Concluded***

Ummm that's the end of this rather weird oneshot (the tittle is suppose to be Spider # 0 ) but i guess this site don't accept character # as in tittle ~.~

Kay' some of you may think why did Illumi bother himself to meet Quoll if in the end his fee is transferred via mobile banking? Well, just say because Quoll is not his regular client, he can't trust him on payment so he goes for it himself. 

As for the prophecy, oh well, sucks as it could be, rhyming is difficult _

Pairing, not pairing, pairing, not pairing, pairing?

Me think this is not pairing or whatsoever, but my little sist says she feels a chemistry between the two. Well, do you? Let me know!

*handing a HEUUUGEEEE hammer*

Do the judgement!

No, no, don't hit me!

Hit the button on the bottom's left!

On second thought, just hit me hard if you think it would make me better on the future

C'ya on other fics

Quince.


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